Outline

  1. About me
  2. Adaptation in stochastic environments
  3. Some of my ML projects
    • Regression-based Machine Learning (WSU)
    • Classification-based Machine Learning (UIdaho)
    • Generative AI-based Machine Learning (EHA)
  4. Closing thoughts
  5. Questions

About Me

Adaptation in Stochastic Environments

  • Bet-Hedging
    • Definition: Increasing variance in fitness at the expense of lower average fitness to ensure survival across unpredictable conditions.
    • Examples: Plants producing seeds with staggered germination times.
  • Life History Adjustments
    • r-selection: High fecundity with low parental investment (e.g., many offspring).
    • K-selection: Fewer offspring with higher investment (e.g., longevity, parental care).
    • Dormancy: Delayed development (e.g., seed banks).
  • Boosting Genetic Diversity
    • Role: Buffers populations against fluctuations, ensuring some individuals thrive in any condition.
    • Mechanisms: Variation of mutation rate, sexual reproduction, dispersal / gene flow.
  • Phenotypic Plasticity
    • Definition: Non-parallel reaction norms among individuals with different genotypes in response to different environmental conditions. GxE interaction.
    • Examples: Seasonal coat color changes in animals; metabolic flexibility in plants.

These Hypotheses can Be Tested

“The fitness of a lineage in a fluctuating environment is the time average of its fitness over the sequence of static conditions it encounters.”1

Different Kinds of Mean

 

Speaking of statistics

A better definition

 

Large Language Models

Modeling Language

 

https://medium.com/data-science-at-microsoft/how-large-language-models-work-91c362f5b78f

Outline

  1. About me
  2. Adaptation in stochastic environments
  3. Some of my ML projects
    • Regression-based Machine Learning (WSU)
    • Classification-based Machine Learning (UIdaho)
    • Generative AI-based Machine Learning (EHA)
  4. Closing thoughts
  5. Questions
1.
Abreu, C. I., Mathur, S. & Petrov, D. A. Environmental memory alters the fitness effects of adaptive mutations in fluctuating environments. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 8, 1760–1775 (2024).